Railroad-rail brace



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOBBY C. BUNNELL, OF WES'IPOR'I, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-RAIL BRACE.

Application filed May 10, 1920. Serial No. 380,092.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORRY C. BUNNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vestport, in the county of Essex and the tate of New York, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Railroad- Rail Braces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a brace adapted to hold parallel rails in position and to prevent their spreading, or tilting on curves. Many accidents are due to spreading of the rails, and where a road is banked, as a curve, a slight settling of the banked portion will throw such weight on the rail that it is liable to be tilted, thus derailing the train. My device will not only prevent spreading at all points but by reason of its engagement with the ball or tread portion of the rail, on the outer side, will brace the rail against any tilting movement.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation, partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

In these drawings A designates the base of a rail, 13 the web and C the ball or tread portion' It is understood that there is a companion rail parallel to the one shown but as the construction is the same on each side of the track only one has been illus-v terminating in a beveled edge 4 that engages the point of juncture between the web B and the tread portion of the rail C. This will prevent tipping or tilting action of the rail as long as the bar 1 is in place. On its inner face and adjacent the angled portion 2 the bar has an inwardly extending lug 5 adapted to grip the upper face of the outer portion of the base A. A block 6 is arranged on the bar 1 adjacent the inner edge of the base A and has a laterally extending arm 7 engaging the upper face of the base, the block being secured by a bolt 8 and nut 10.

A longitudinally reinforcing plate 11 is fitted on the under face of the bar and is also held in place b y the bolt 8 and nut 10. Said bar extends under the block and partly under the rail base. i

The overlapping portions of the bars 1 are bolted together as at 12 and a wood or fiber filler 13 is placed between them as at 13 to insulate one rail from the other, fiber bushings 9 being employed for the bolts 12.

The simplicity and advantages of a brace bar ofthis construction will be apparent.

\Vhat I claim is In a brace of the kind described, the combination with a rail, a brace bar passing under the rail base and angled to engage the outer edge of the base, said bar having an arm extending upwardly and inwardly and bearing against the rail at the juncture of the web and tread, a lug formed on the bar engaging the outer face of the base, a bloclr secured to the bar and engaging the inner .face of the base, and a longitudinally extending reinforcing plate secured on the under side of the bar and below said block and partly under the rail base.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HORRY G. BUNNELL. 

